[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_Bartlett Fails Forest Carbon Science 101_N McKim MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

BARTLETT STICKS WITH FOREST CARBON IGNORANCE

As He Fails Climate Science 101 in Parliament Today

Nick McKim MP
Greens Opposition Leader

Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today exposed Premier David Bartlett as being
ignorant on the carbon value of forests and the fundamentals of climate
change after he refused to resile from his reported statement that 'I
don't think that the logging of old growth forests is necessarily
related to climate change.'

Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said that Mr Bartlett's views are contrary
to all available climate science, and flew in the face of expert opinion
from people as diverse as the IPCC, the IUCN and the World Bank.

"Wilful ignorance is neither clever nor kind, and Mr Bartlett needs an
immediate refresher on forest carbon science if he is to lead Tasmania
to the low carbon economy which can underpin our economic future."

"The simple truth is that reigning in deforestation and forest
degradation is the quickest and most effective way of reducing
emissions, and by remaining in denial Mr Bartlett has let down himself
and Tasmania's forests."

"After pledging to be data-driven and to make evidence based decisions
it turns out that we have a climate Luddite as a Premier."

"Tasmania can have a win-win future whereby we can profit from ending
the destruction of our globally significant high conservation value
forests, but not while Mr Bartlett remains in wilful ignorance of the
science."

Mr McKim also accused Mr Bartlett of using Parliamentary Privilege to
attack the Australian National University scientists who conducted a
study into the carbon values of mature forests. 

"Personal attacks are the last refuge of the ignorant as Mr Bartlett
clearly demonstrated today."





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